UCLA’s bowl chances shaky

A UCLA victory over top-ranked USC on Dec. 3 would, among other
things, officially give the Bruins a claim to a share of the Pac-10
title.

What it won’t do is guarantee the Bruins the
Pac-10’s automatic bid for a BCS game, which now belongs to
USC regardless of what happens at the Coliseum when the two teams
meet.

By virtue of Oregon’s 56-14 shellacking of Oregon State on
Saturday and because of an abstract rule in the case of a
multiple-team tie atop the Pac-10 standings, the Trojans will be
the BCS’s Pac-10 champion representative.

In the case of multiple teams sharing the conference’s
best record, as would be the case if No. 11 UCLA knocked off USC
““ leaving the Bruins, Trojans and Ducks with identical 7-1
Pac-10 records ““ the tie-breaking process would normally
begin with head-to-head match-ups.

But because UCLA and Oregon did not play each other this season,
the process instead starts in comparing the three teams’
record against common opponents, where the Bruins would be the
first eliminated by virtue of their loss to Arizona, whom Oregon
and USC both defeated.

Once whittled down to two teams, the Trojans would get the final
nod because of their 45-13 victory over the Ducks back on Sept.
24.

That would leave UCLA, who if it beats USC would be the only one
of the three tied teams who has not lost to the either of the other
two, looking for answers among several possibilities.

A potential 10-win Bruin team could conceivably find itself
anywhere from a BCS game after New Years Day to the Pacific Life
Holiday Bowl on Dec. 29 in San Diego to a less prestigious
appearance at the Vitalis Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas on Dec.
30.

In the current BCS rankings, both UCLA (9-1) and Oregon (10-1)
are ranked behind two-loss teams Ohio State (9-2) and Notre Dame
(8-2). Even if the Bruins upset USC, they would most likely be
vying with Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Auburn for one of two
at-large BCS bids.

And that may be more of a concern, considering that the Pac-10
hasn’t exactly fared well in the final BCS standings.

In 2001, a Nebraska team that was walloped in the Big XII North
Championship was still awarded a trip to the Rose Bowl to play in
the national championship, when many college football analysts
agreed that a 10-1 Oregon squad was the more deserving team. The
Huskers lost 37-14 to Miami in an extremely lopsided contest.

Then last season, a one-loss California team that was ahead of a
one-loss Texas team in the BCS for the majority of the year was
surpassed by the Longhorns in the final rankings and passed over
for a BCS bowl game.

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